Tray-shape packaging

ABSTRACT

Tray-like pack with a sealing rim passing round the removal opening for sealing on a sealing foil or film and a rolling rim radially outwardly connected to said sealing rim and at least in a partial area the rolling rim has a smaller height than in the remaining area.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a tray-like pack with a sealing rim passinground the removal opening for sealing on a sealing foil or film and arolling rim radially outwardly connected to said sealing rim.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Such tray packs are conventionally used in the food industry,particularly for smaller pet food portions. The filled tray pack istightly sealed by sealing a sealing foil onto a sealing rim passinground the removal opening. To permit an opening of the pack by drawingoff the sealing foil, conventionally in a partial area, e.g. in the caseof a polygonal tray in one of the corners, is formed an opening tagprojecting radially outwards over the sealing rim and a rolling rimconnecting onto the same. The tag defines a tear initiation point forpulling off the sealing foil.

In conventional tray packs the top of the rolling rim projects over andbeyond the sealing rim plane. On sealing on the sealing foil, as aresult of the counterpressure of the rolling rim, a deformation occursin the tag area thereof and consequently in said area a strongerconnection of the sealing foil to the tray pack. Thus, in the tag areaan increased tear initiation force occurs on opening the pack, which isundesired particularly for user convenience reasons.

Therefore the problem of the present invention is to provide such a traypack which can be opened with reduced force expenditure.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, this problem is solved in that, at cast in apartial area, the rolling rim has a smaller height than in the remainingarea.

Preferably, the top of the rolling rim in said partial area does notproject over the sealing rim plane.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the invention proposes that thetop of the rolling rim, relative to the sealing rim plane, drops awaydownwards in said partial area.

Particular preference is given to an embodiment in which an opening tagof the sealing foil is located in said partial area.

As a result of the measures proposed by the invention in a surprisinglysimple manner there is a significant reduction to the tear initiationforce from the opening tag on drawing off the sealing foil. Even aslight lowering of the top of the rolling rim in said partial area leadsto an improvement. Particularly favourable results arc obtained if thetop of the rolling rim in said partial area does not project over thesealing rim plane or even drops away downwards.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described hereinafterrelative to the attached drawings, wherein show:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tray pack according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-section along line II—II in the partial area Aof the rolling rim;

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-section along line III—III in the loweredpartial area B of the rolling rim;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a typical tray pack 10 for pet foods, here in rectangularform. It is pointed out that the invention is suitable for allconceivable geometrical shapes of tray packs, including circular,symmetrical or asymmetrical polygonal.

Around the removal opening of the tray pack 10 is provided a sealing rim12 for sealing on an only partly shown sealing foil or film 30. Arolling rim 20 typical for such packs is radially outwardly connected tosaid sealing rim 12. In the partial area A representing most of thecircumference of the tray pack 10 the rolling rim is constructed inconventional manner so that its top 22 projects over the plane of thesealing rim 12 (FIG. 2).

According to the invention, in a smaller partial area B, whichessentially coincides with the area of the sealing foil 30 in which theopening tag 32 is formed, a smaller partial area B is lowered. In FIG. 3is shown the embodiment in which the top 22 of the rolling rim 20,relative to the plane of the sealing rim 12, drops away downwards.

On sealing the sealing foil 30 onto the sealing rim 12 the pressure ofthe rolling rim 20 in partial area B is consequently significantlyreduced or in the preferred embodiment shown eliminated, so that thetear initiation force on pulling off the sealing foil 30 for opening thepack is significantly reduced.

No great significance is attached to the material chosen for the traypack or the sealing foil or film, because the object of the inventioncan be achieved with any standard material combination.

The features of the invention disclosed n the above description,drawings and claims can be essential to the implementation of thevarious embodiments of the invention, either singly or in randomcombination.

1. A tray-like pack comprising: a sealing rim passing round a removal opening for sealing foil; a rolling rim connected radially outwards to said sealing rim, said rolling rim projecting over a plane of the sealing rim; wherein at least in a partial area of said sealing rim, the rolling rim drops away downwards of the plane of the sealing rim.
 2. The pack according to claim 1, wherein in the partial area, the top of the rolling rim does not project over the plane of the sealing rim.
 3. The pack according to claim 2, wherein in the partial area of said sealing rim, the rolling rim has a smaller height than in the remaining area.
 4. The pack according to claim 1, wherein an opening tag of the sealing foil is located in the partial area.
 5. The pack according to claim 1, wherein the shape of the tray-like pack is selected from a group consisting of rectangular, circular, symmetrical and asymmetrical polygonal shapes. 